Does it matter if distillation flasks aren’t made from borosilicate glass?

There is a copious amount of glassware to be found in any laboratory and it can be found in a wide range of shapes and sizes.

In recent years many labs have switched from glass vessels to cheaper and less fragile plastic materials but, in most cases, due to the nature of the samples handled and with the precise tolerances or specifications written into international standards, this is not an option for the petroleum industry.

Many techniques such as distillation, chromatography, centrifugal and extraction, to name but a few, are performed over a range of conditions including significant changes in temperature.  Testing under these conditions affects the lifespan of glassware.   

Borosilicate glass contains boron trioxide which allows for a low coefficient of thermal expansion, which means borosilicate glassware can withstand the more extreme temperature changes associated with petroleum testing.  The durability of borosilicate and quartz has clear cost advantages and, over time, enables a better accuracy of results than other glass materials.

Atilano Martinez, CEO of Crystal Science USA Corporation, says “we pride ourselves on customer service, in addition to providing high quality products. Crystal Science offer design and engineering services enabling us to provide the petroleum market with bespoke solutions for specific applications or special projects.”  Martinez continues, “last year we celebrated 10 years in business and we look forward to continued growth and serving the petroleum market for decades to come”.

The team at Crystal Science USA have more than 30 years of experience in manufacturing high quality, ASTM standard glassware using both borosilicate glass and quartz materials.